abc's brandi hitt is joining us from denver with more. good morning, brandi? >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. this debate has been the biggest moment so far in this race. and for much of the night, president obama looked very relaxed on stage. and mitt romney pounced, putting the president on defense. the first presidential debate started with a hand shake and a smile between president obama and his republican challenger, mitt romney. then, it quickly focused on the economy. >> 5 million jobs in the private sector created. the auto industry's come roaring back. and housing has begun to rise. >> i know what it takes to get small business growing again, to hire people. >> reporter: romney was aggressive most of the night. but his comments about the 47% had taken a toll on his campaign. the president never brought up those comments. and romney tried to move past them. >> under the president's policies, middle-income americans have been buried. they're just being crushed. i will not, under any circumstances, raise taxes on middle-income families. >> repor